ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 13. Turkmenistan and Malaysia discussed prospects for expanding cooperation in the gas chemical industry, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen government.
The talks were held during a meeting between Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (Parliament) of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Political Affairs under the Prime Minister of Malaysia during his visit to Ashgabat.
Particularly, Berdimuhamedov emphasized the importance of focusing partner efforts on the implementation of new projects in the gas chemical sector.
In this context, the Malaysian side confirmed readiness to present relevant proposals aimed at developing cooperation in gas chemistry.
The discussions highlighted mutual interest in strengthening industrial partnership and advancing new joint initiatives in the sector.
For reference, gas chemistry (gas chemical industry) refers to the downstream segment of the hydrocarbon sector, where natural gas is used as a raw material for producing higher-value products such as methanol, ammonia, urea, polyethylene, and other petrochemical derivatives, rather than being exported or consumed directly as fuel.
In the context of Turkmenistan, the gas chemical sector is a strategic priority due to the country’s large natural gas reserves and long-term policy of increasing value-added processing instead of relying solely on raw gas exports. This has led to the development of large-scale gas-to-chemicals and gas-to-fertilizer projects aimed at diversifying export revenues and expanding industrial capacity. For Malaysia, represented by companies such as PETRONAS and related industrial players, gas chemistry is one of the core areas of expertise, particularly in integrated petrochemical complexes and advanced gas processing technologies.
